Mexico on Memin Pinguin stamps: No apologies

July 1, 2005 by Phil Barron · · · Post a comment ⋅

Mexico’s official response to the many Americans outraged over the racially offensive Memin Pinguin stamps: “You’re wrong.” The president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, denied that the stamps were in any way racist and said that critics don’t understand the issue or Mexican culture.

President Vicente Fox said Friday that U.S. activists who have called a new Mexican postage stamp racist don’t understand the issue and should read the comic book.

“They don’t have information, frankly,” Fox said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press.

U.S. black activists and the White House have criticized the stamp featuring Memin Pinguin, a sort of Jim Crow-era image of a black child.

“All Mexico loves the character,” Fox said, adding that he himself was fond of it.

Well, that’s certainly reassuring. Fox’s statements, which demonstrate at the very least an appalling lack of political judgment (apart from a desire to pander to comfortable societal prejudice), represent the official party line:

Earlier Friday, Fox’s spokesman Ruben Aguilar said the government of Mexico “emphatically rejects these complaints, which are the products of lack of knowledge or people who want publicity,” Aguilar told reporters, though he did not name those to whom he referred.

“By no means is Mexico considering the possibility” of withdrawing the stamp, Aguilar said, accusing critics of being “people who want to take advantage of this … to seek publicity within American society.”

On Thursday, Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez had called the criticisms “a total lack of respect for our culture.”

That Derbez can speak of “a total lack of respect” here just takes your breath away.

I’ve gotten a couple of communications now from people who don’t see the problem with the stamps; they cite American unfamiliarity with the comic book and its apparently revered place in Mexican culture. To them I’d say that I and other blacks are all too familiar with the kinds of degrading stereotype presented in Memin Pinguin, and with the tired claims that they mean no harm. I’m sure they don’t - to people who aren’t being caricatured.

No closer acquaintance to such demeaning images is desired, thanks very much. And no claim of cultural innocence makes them palatable. Any head of state who cannot or will not acknowledge the negative effects of an official sanction of such imagery deserves scorn and criticism at the very least.

President Fox’s excuses for the publication of the Memin Pinguin stamps are unacceptable.

(Previous post on the Memin Pinguin stamps below, or here.)

Filed Under: Blogged
Tagged: Race

Comments

999Comments2005-07-01+19%3A48%3A04Phil+Barron to “Mexico on Memin Pinguin stamps: No apologies”

pablotrejo on July 1st, 2005 4:10 pm

You’re being so selfish.

Dont you think that black people is the only one to be caricaturized?? Dont you think we Mexicans can get offended by Speedy Gonzalez or countless others caricaturizations of mexican people?

C’mon man! Its a cartoon! Don’t take it seriously!

It’s not even a caricaturizarion, its just a cartoon character, which happens to be black.. is that bad???

chill out man!
Pamela on July 1st, 2005 6:13 pm

Immersed in any culture, we fail to see the weaknesses in it. And so Fox and others see Memin Pinguin as “beloved.”

I used to tell “Polack” jokes when I was a kid. They were funny to me. But I was a KID. Once someone explained to me why they were hurtful, I got it and stopped.

Education and empathy are the only things that get us past issues like this. I love the empty argument that because those who advocate the cartoon character MEANT no harm, the character is harmless.

In my neck of the woods, the American South, a truly common sight is the bumper sticker or t-shirt bearing the image of the confederate flag and the slogan “Heritage, Not Hate.”

Juxtapose that slogan against one of the most riveting scenes from the Civil Rights Movement. I forget which event it was, but it had to do with schools. It might have been the day the children first attended school in Little Rock. Hundreds (probably thousands) of angry white protesters lined the streets. And they were nearly all dressed in shirts made of Confederate flag material. (I saw this image in Eyes on the Prize, hard to get access to these days.) Apparently some folks don’t recognize that the heritage IS one of hate, being immersed in the culture as they are. Some of these people probably truly don’t get that it’s a hateful image. They like Reba McIntyre and grits and think the flag is just part of all that. And of course we still have that flag incorporated into some of our southern state flags.

To get back to the topic at hand, Memim Pinguin, I find pablotrejo’s comments a bit illogical. First, he suggests “Dont you think we Mexicans can get offended” by similar caricatures, but then calls it only a cartoon, not to be taken seriously. Which is Speedy Gonzales? Offensive or only a cartoon?

Maybe through the international outrage over this stamp, Fox and others are getting the kind of education I got when I was a 10-year-old telling Polack jokes. But sadly, probably they’re not.
Pamela on July 1st, 2005 6:15 pm

I suppose I should have added that I am neither black nor Mexican. I have no dog in this fight. But I find the stamps shockingly insensitve.
tovanche on July 1st, 2005 6:46 pm

Jesse Jackson is a hipocrite. He should look in his own community if he wants to see racism. What about sports teams like the Cleveland Indians or New Mexico Aztecs or Speedy Gonzalez. Maybe these ignorant people don’t know that there’s blacks in Mexico.
tovanche on July 1st, 2005 6:51 pm

Maybe blacks in this country should worry less about being victims and more about being good law abiding citizens.
chilango_dude on July 1st, 2005 7:37 pm

Based on my own experience reading the comic, I see more stereotypes that can be applied to Mexicans than to blacks. That would make sense, since Memin is Mexican. A lot of us identify with him, what makes him beloved character in our country.
kisskross on July 2nd, 2005 1:15 pm

I understand that stereotypes should not be accepted nor tolerated, but I also know that this cartoon is and has not been meant as a stereotype of any sort. As stated in another news article, this character is from a different era when even in this country, African-Americans or blacks whichever you prefer, where also characterized in such a manner. I can see where the issues of race are being brought in, but I also can see the views of supporters as many have stated, this character is a beloved symbol, if you will, of Mexican culture, history and tradition. The US government seems to be expanding its reach of what it deems right and wrong not only on its own citizens, but now, on those of other nations. I feel that this is an issue that should be left to the nation that originated its controversy. I am of Mexican heritage and have had many friends from around the world. We have conversed about this type of issues and have found that unless you can put yourself in their shoes, you can’t judge what they may find offensive. I do agree that the way this image is drawn seems stereotypical, but what about the internal character of this cartoon? It has taught many a child and adult alike some of life’s many lessons. We should look to the inside not the outside for direction to this so called “offensive” image to really understand its purpose.
kisskross on July 2nd, 2005 1:19 pm

I understand that stereotypes should not be accepted nor tolerated, but I also know that this cartoon is and has not been meant as a stereotype of any sort. As stated in another news article, this character is from a different era when even in this country, African-Americans or blacks whichever you prefer, where also characterized in such a manner. I can see where the issues of race are being brought in, but I also can see the views of supporters as many have stated, this character is a beloved symbol, if you will, of Mexican culture, history and tradition. The US government seems to be expanding its reach of what it deems right and wrong not only on its own citizens, but now, on those of other nations. I feel that this is an issue that should be left to the nation that originated its controversy. I am of Mexican heritage and have had many friends from around the world. We have conversed about this type of issues and have found that unless you can put yourself in their shoes, you can’t judge what they may find offensive. I do agree that the way this image is drawn seems stereotypical, but what about the internal character of this cartoon? It has taught many a child and adult alike some of life’s many lessons. We should look to the inside not the outside for direction to this so called “offensive” image to really understand its purpose.
Teejay on July 2nd, 2005 7:52 pm

I Am an African studying in Canada. Some of my closest friends here are Mexicans and i’ve heard quite alot of good things about Mexico that made me to have some affection for that country. But my whole perception of that country has changed recently. I never thought Mexico to be a racist country, eventhough i dont consider my friends as such. Depicting characters that stereotypes a race in comics is not uncommon, but what is uncommon is a Government of a country giving its approval for the production and sale of postage stamps that stereotypes a particular race. Alot of racial bigots are giving ridiculos excuses to defend this clear practice of racism. Any sensitive person would see the racist intents in this, especially few weeks after President fox made some deragatory Racial remarks on Black people. Some people have labelled the US of being ignorant of the mexican cartoon characters and cultures, and want to portray it as one of those political scandals between the states and mexico. They said memin ping…or whatever it is called can be compared with the likes of speedy Gonzalez and the likes; i want to know which of those characters have ever been depicted on mexican postage stamps? People around the globe are aware of the political tension between mexico and the states, but this time mexico has overstepped its boundries , because This latest saga has nothing to do with the US or the African-Americans for that matter; it is an insult to the entire black race of this world. If this despicable act by the mexican govt was not meant to stereotype the black race (as they want insensitive people to beleive), then they have ridiculed themselves by portraying how insensitive they are. Mexico has made history by being the first country to approve racial stereotyping in postage stamps. The world would always remember u for that!
buttheadrulesagain2 on July 3rd, 2005 12:35 am

Damn, you just can’t stop saying nonsense eh?

READ THE DAMN COMIC

If Memin doesn’t look like Beyonce, it’s not our problem!!! NOT EVERY BLACK PERSON IS LIKE HIM, BUT ALSO NOT EVERY BLACK PERSON ISN’T LIKE HIM. Shove it.

Then, we should consider suing Disneyworld for the Small World ride, depicting stereotypes like there’s no tomorrow. Fools
Sergio on July 10th, 2005 6:28 am

SOVEREIGNITY

What you, Americans, have to understand is that this is not a “racial issue”, this is not about “how racist” Mexico is, this is about sovereignty. Let us analyze this situation for a moment;

1) the Mexican Postal Service (not President Fox) issues some stamps showing a caricature of a black boy, Memín Pinguín;
2) some American priest gets to see these stamps and feels outraged about it;
3) this same American priest demands that the stamps be withdrawn from market and also demands an apology from the Mexican President himself to the black community in America, which he “represents”, because the stamps “are” racist and offend black people; 4) the Mexican government claims that the caricature is a very by-many-people beloved character from a Mexican comic book from 1940 and is not, and was never intended to offend black people, but to (Oh irony!) diminish racism and encourage family values (according to the creator of this comic book, who is a woman, Memín was created based on the charming Cuban kids whom she fell in love with when she made a trip to the island. The character is a mischievous boy who has a very peculiar way to see life and among his friends he always gets to be the most beloved one)
5) the priest gets reinforcements and even the spokesman from the White House says that the stamps are “offensive… The Mexican government needs to take this into account. Images such as these have no place in today’s world”

And I think to myself…… what a wonderful woooorrld…..

How do you expect that the Mexican government will react when an American priest demands an apology from the Mexican President for these stamps (no apologies demanded from the Mexican Postal Service?) and even the White House claims that “The Mexican government needs to take this into account. Images such as these have no place in today’s world”?

Can you not see? This isn’t about “how racist” Mexico is. This is about Americans messing with other country’s affairs and sovereignty.

An American priest demanding apologies from the President of another nation because he found some stamps of his (the President’s) country’s Postal Service offensive?

The White House trying making judgments and trying to impose its moral to a sovereign nation?

This is just insolent. Americans are not the police of the world, they can not go trying to impose their moral and “values” to the rest of the world.

THE MEXICAN PRESIDENT’S STATEMENTS

There are even some people who assure that in Mexico there’s such a deal of racism by recalling the Mexican President’s statements about the Mexicans in the United States taking jobs that “not even the blacks want”.

Mmmhhh… I wonder… if the Mexican people should be judged by the President’s statements…. Should the American people be judged by President Bush’s statements and actions?

I think not. I think that wouldn’t do them any good.

Do I think the Mexican President is a racist? I don’t know. Maybe only the people who really know him can get to know that. What I do think is that he is a very bad politician and he frequently screws it up.

Did he really mean it that way when he said that Mexicans take jobs that “not even blacks want”? I have my doubts.
I think that he meant that even the minority which has suffered the most in the United States, even those who were discriminated so badly (and who are, unfortunately, still being discriminated), even the ones who were traded as slaves in the past and were, not long ago, still segregated, have had the chances to improve their life conditions and can now get better jobs, but, on the other hand, the Mexicans still get those terrible jobs that black people were forced (due to the lack of better opportunities) to take, but nowadays take not any longer. At least that’s what I think he meant. Because even though he’s a very bad politician and even if he were a very racist person (which you and I totally ignore) you would need to be a brainless snail in order to say that on a public speech and mean it as a racial slur. Give the man a little credit, probably he just screwed it up trying to say something else.
I can say this because I’ve witnessed what he’s said and done since even before he got elected for the presidency.
How many Americans can say that?

RACISM IN MEXICO

There is racism in Mexico, of course. There are people in Mexico. But, surprisingly
(or maybe not so), most of the racism is against native Mexicans.

Racism against black people is not so common in Mexico because there are just very few black people there. In fact, most of the “black” people in Mexico are not exactly what in America would be considered “African American” (African Mexican in the case of Mexico) but a mixture of Native Mexicans and Africans who, in most cases, acquired the local culture and adjusted themselves to their new home. There are some tribes, which never mixed with Native Mexicans and which live in the Sierras, that stayed “Africans” though.

I won’t deny that there’s racism in Mexico, that’s for sure, there’s racism almost everywhere (an unfortunate world-wide disease), however, I find it very hypocrit from some Americans to make such a big fuss about some stamps in Mexico, to say that in Mexico “there’s such a big deal of racism” (well, in Mexico the seats in the bus and the restrooms were not separated by “colored” and “white”), and to use this as a scapegoat for the real sh#t in the United States (and by some other very well known ones as a cheap political trick) when they have the major problem in their homeland.

ABOUT MEMÍN

I’m not keen to the comic book so I wouldn’t know if the whole Memín thing is something racist, I’ve heard from many people who have read it that is nothing like that, though.

According to some people (most people, actually), the comic book is about encouraging family values and showing the adventures of this fellow, Memín.

What is a fact, is that in Mexico this comic book got once to be very popular among children and grown ups and used to sell thousands of numbers so, it is true that Memín (whether people like it or not) was and still is an important part of Mexico’s literary history.

TO BLACK PEOPLE (NOT ONLY AFRICAN AMERICANS)

Whether you should be outraged by these stamps or you should just discard them as something irrelevant is up to you. I’m not black so, my opinion about how “offensive” or how “irrelevant” these stamps are, would be just selfish. I think only black people can make a fair judgement (nevertheless, an individual one) about whether these stamps offends them or not.

I know that some people are more sensitive than others, and that some people are taught to be sensitive because of their historical background. For example, I’m white and Mexican. I’ve lived all my life in Mexico and since I’m white I’ve always been called “güero”, which means “white one” (at first it actually meant “blonde one”) and I’ve never felt offended in any sense by the people who call me that way. However, there are some white Americans who would feel annoyed if they were called that way even if they knew what the word means. Of course, that is understandable; cultures are different from one another, the problem is that some people tend to think that because they grew up in a certain culture they have the “divine right” to judge any other culture as they please, as if their own were “the one”, and they may even try to impose their ideas and moral to the other ones.

Perception of things changes from place to place and from culture to culture.

TO AMERICANS

You, as well as any other people, have the right to express your ideas and feelings freely. You, guys, can say whatever you want about the Mexican President, about these stamps, about racism, about modern days, about moral, about values, etc.
That is one thing. Another very different thing is playing the police of the world, trying to impose your moral to a sovereign nation, having a American priest demanding apologies from the President of another country for some political cheap trick and even getting the support from the White House for such a stupid thing.

Understand this: THE AMERICAN MORAL STAYS IN THE UNITED STATES as well as the Mexican moral stays in Mexico.

This is a Mexican affair and the decision taken about it will be made by Mexican authorities.

No matter if your white or black, or how “offended” you feel, even if you feel you’re blood is boiling, all you can do is express your ideas; other than that, if you’re American understand this: THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSSINESS.

THE AMERICAN DEMANDS FOR APOLOGIES ARE TOTALLY IRRELEVANT TO MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Is it so important for an American priest whether Mexico is a “racist” country or not?
Why isn’t it more important whether his own country is a racist one?
Could you tell by the country’s stamps?
Mmmmhhh or maybe it’s just the comic book?
Are there in the United States no stereotypes?
Why the double moral?
I’m starting to remember some other “outrageous” images…. but this time, from the United States:

The Red Skins logo
Speedy Gonzalez
The Chihuahua dog of Taco Bell
Speedy Gonzalez’ cousins (Boy! Were those guys lazy)
Pepe le Pew
The Fighting Irish guy on a green suit (I don’t know if he has a special name)
And let’s not talk about Hollywood movies….

Forget it, guys, when it comes about stereotypes, compared to Mexicans, Americans are in the Major Leagues.

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